Cold War America
Analyze containment, arms race, McCarthyism, Korea, Vietnam, domestic politics, and the global consequences of Cold War policy.
A lesson of US History, in Depression, World War II, and the Cold War, about 10 minutes.
The Cold War and America
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to describe America's Cold War strategy and major Cold War crises, explain McCarthyism and its impact on civil liberties, and analyze how the Cold War shaped American society and politics.
The Postwar World and the Origins of the Cold War
WWII outcomes: US and Soviet Union emerged as superpowers; Europe in ruins; colonial empires destabilizing. A new world order would be defined by US-Soviet competition.
Yalta Conference (February 1945): FDR, Churchill, Stalin agreed on post-war Europe; Stalin pledged free elections in Eastern Europe; promise he broke. Eastern Europe became a Soviet sphere of influence.
Truman Doctrine (1947): Congress approved $400 million to Greece and Turkey to fight communist insurgencies. Truman established the principle: US would support "free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation."
Marshall Plan (1948): $12 billion to rebuild Western Europe — political calculation: communism thrives in poverty; rebuilding Europe would prevent communist electoral victories. Unprecedented in peacetime international aid.
NATO (1949): North Atlantic Treaty Organization — US committed to defend Western Europe; if one member attacked, all would respond. End of American isolationism.
Containment (George Kennan): US strategy — not roll back communism, but contain it; prevent its spread. Worked for 45 years.
Early Cold War Crises
Berlin Blockade (1948–1949): Stalin blockaded West Berlin; Truman ordered massive airlift; 11 months; Stalin backed down. Established West's resolve.
China "falls" (1949): Communist Mao Zedong's forces defeated Nationalist Chiang Kai-shek; China became the People's Republic of China. Republicans blamed Truman for "losing" China.
Korean War (1950–1953):
- North Korea (communist) invaded South Korea (June 1950)
- UN force (mostly American) under MacArthur pushed North Koreans back; then China entered
- MacArthur wanted to bomb China; Truman fired him (civil-military authority)
- Armistice at roughly original border; 36,000 Americans killed; the "Forgotten War"
Nuclear arms race: US monopoly ended (Soviet bomb, 1949); hydrogen bombs (both sides, 1952–1953); massive conventional and nuclear buildup. By 1960: ~20,000 nuclear warheads worldwide.
McCarthyism and the Red Scare
Context: the Soviet bomb, "loss" of China, Korean War, and discovery of Soviet spies (Alger Hiss; Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed 1953) created intense fear of communist infiltration.